Originally published on July 15, 2014
I love Michael Smith. He not only creates beautiful and tasty food, but he makes it accessible to everyone from other chefs, to the home cook that has just started cooking for their family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make these specific pork chops, but I did watch him slather lamb chops in Dijon one day, a day that I just happened to have pork chops in my fridge. They’re much like breaded pork chops, as I knew they would be, but they bring a little extra zip to the meat. And because you’re breading the pork, it won’t dry out in the oven, which is always a concern when you’re cooking any kind of pork. Breading pork chops this way is also nice when you don’t want to deal with the mess of fully breading the chops, or when you don’t have flour or eggs on hand.
Ingredients:
4 bone-in pork chops
6 – 8 tablespoons Dijon
2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and pat the pork chops dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.) In a large bowl combine the bread crumbs, the Parmesan cheese, dried thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3.) Slather the chops on both sides with Dijon mustard. If you want to keep the mess down, slather one side and then place that side down into the bowl of bread crumbs. While the chop is in the crumbs, slather the other side with Dijon and then flip it over to coat the other side in bread crumbs. As you’re finished breading the pork chops, place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
4.) When all of the chops have been breaded and are on the baking sheet, drizzle the melted butter over top of them.
5.) Place the pork chops in the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the chops are fully cooked through. When they are done, remove the chops from the oven, tent with foil, and allow them to rest for several minutes.
6.) Serve and enjoy!